La Croisette, Cannes

Hôtel Martinez

★★★★★

The Hôtel Martinez is the largest of the great palace hotels on the Boulevard de la Croisette, and its long white Art Deco façade has been a symbol of Cannes since Emmanuel Martinez opened it in 1929. It is woven into the history of the Film Festival — stars, producers and journalists have filled it every May for decades — and in June 2026 it received the official Palace distinction, the highest category in French hotel classification, making it the only Palace in Cannes. After a major renovation it reopened in 2019 as part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, with interiors refreshed in a contemporary take on its 1930s spirit. It has 410 rooms and suites, including over a hundred suites, many with balconies looking straight over the Croisette and the bay toward the Lérins Islands and the Esterel; the rooftop penthouse suites are among the most famous in the world. Dining ranges from La Palme d'Or, the hotel's Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurant, to Le Sud, a terrace restaurant overlooking the garden and the Croisette, and the Martinez Bar, a lively, glamorous lounge. Across the boulevard, La Plage du Martinez is a private beach with loungers, a restaurant and a water sports centre, open daily in season depending on weather. Behind the hotel, a garden surrounds a large heated outdoor pool, and L'Oasis du Martinez houses a spa with treatments and a fitness area. The hotel is open every day of the year, with accessible rooms and family rooms, and it hosts major events through the year.

Why stay: if you want Cannes in its most iconic form, with the Croisette at your door, a private beach across the road, palm trees and the yachts of the bay in view, the Martinez delivers on a grand scale. Its size means more facilities and more room types than the smaller palaces, and its central position on the Croisette makes it easy to walk to the Palais des Festivals, the old port and Le Suquet in about fifteen to twenty minutes, or to the Palm Beach in the other direction.

Living in it: sea-view rooms are the ones to book, ideally with a balcony; city or garden-view rooms are cheaper and quieter. The pool and beach are major assets in season, while the spa and the restaurants keep the hotel appealing in winter, when Cannes is calm and mild. During the Film Festival and other major events, rates rise sharply and rooms are hard to get. The size of the hotel can make it feel busy, especially during conferences, but service is polished and the Palace distinction reflects high standards.

Base math: Cannes station is about fifteen minutes on foot or a short taxi ride, with trains to Antibes in about ten to fifteen minutes and to Nice in about thirty-five to forty. Nice airport is around thirty to forty-five minutes by car. The Lérins Islands ferries leave from the old port. Book it for a glamorous Cannes stay, a festival experience, or a beach-and-spa break in the shoulder seasons.